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7.8.13

Girl, 14, died after 'web bullying'

A 14-year-old Leicestershire girl killed herself after being
bullied on a social networking site, her father has claimed.

Hannah Smith, from Lutterworth, was found hanged on Friday.

Her father Dave Smith wrote on Facebook that he found
bullying posts on his daughter's ask.fm page from people telling her to die.

Latvia-based ask.fm allows users to post anonymously. An
inquest into Hannah's death has opened in Leicester

.

Writing on Facebook last Friday, Mr. Smith wrote: "Just
to let all my friends know my youngest daughter took her own life last
night."

'Broken heart'

He adds: "Rest in peace my baby and you will never be
forgotten xxxxxxx."

He added: "My heart is broken in 2 and is gonna take a
long time to repair i just hope that none of you have to go through the pain am
going through rite now [sic]."

Mr Smith has called for tighter controls to be applied to
social networking sites such as ask.fm.

He wrote: "I have just seen the abuse my daughter got
from people on ask fm and the fact that these people can be anonymous is wrong
[sic]."

On a Facebook page set up in memory of his daughter, he
asked people to sign an e-petition to introduce safeguarding measures on sites
used by children.

The page now has nearly 30,000 "likes".

'Loss to understand'

The petition states: "Please sign if you would like the
Government to step in and insist that Ask.fm and similar sites help us protect
our young people. They are able to join from the age of 13 and can post
anonymously."

In a statement, Hannah's headteacher at Lutterworth High
School, Nora Parker, said: "The governors, staff and students of
Lutterworth High School were deeply shocked and saddened to learn the news that
on 2 August Hannah Smith, a year 9 student, took her own life.

"Hannah, who just completed her final year at the
school and was looking to transfer to Lutterworth College in August, was a
bright, bubbly, popular and thoughtful girl who was liked and respected by all
those she came into contact with.

"She had everything to live for and her family, who are
utterly devastated, are at a loss to understand why this has happened."

Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said:
"This is a tragic case where Hannah felt like she had no other option but
to end her life.